Traffic Signal Design: Engineering Concepts

Dates:April 27-28, 2027
Meets:Tu and W from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Location:UC San Diego Park and Market 318-319
Cost: $625.00

There are still openings remaining at this time.

OR

This class is offered in partnership with the California Department of Transportation, Division of Local Assistance. Registration fees are subsidized with funding from the Cooperative Training Assistance Program. Reduced rates are available to employees of California's city, county, regional, and other public agencies only.

Description

This newly updated course covers basic concepts, standards, and practices related to the design and installation of traffic signals. Within the framework of the California Vehicle Code, California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA MUTCD), and Chapter 9 on Highway Lighting from Caltrans Traffic Manual, this course will explore the relationship among various engineering disciplines as foundations for signal design; introduce signal phasing diagrams, signal controllers and cabinets; explain the layouts of signal heads, signal poles, conductor schedule, and associated signal conduits, pullboxes, wiring, interconnects, detection and safety lighting.
The course includes lectures, sample problems, and exercise projects that will familiarize the course participant with the design process for a simple signal design plan, and to provide for a unit-price-based cost estimate.
While this course will focus only on the introductory engineering aspects in signal design and introduce some local agencies' equivalent standards and specifications that vary from Caltrans, the goal is for the course participants to become familiar with standards and specifications that guide the design and lead to successful project delivery of an operational traffic signal.

Click here for a detailed outline.

Topics Include

  • relationship of street designs and signal designs
  • signal phasing, controllers, cabinets
  • signal phasing
  • signal heads, poles, conduits, pullboxes, detection
  • intersection safety lighting
  • the format of contract documents

What You Will Learn

Students gain a good working understanding of concepts and standards needed to develop plans for traffic signal installations, including step-by-step procedures.

Who Should Attend

This is an introductory course targeted for traffic engineers, technicians, and maintenance and construction personnel with little or no experience in how to plan for and install traffic signals.

Requirements

Please bring the following tools to the course: pocket calculator, engineer's scale (with 1:20 scale), 12" straight edge, and four colored pencils (red, green, blue, black). Optional item is a template with circles, squares and rectangles. The perspective course participants will be exposed to Caltrans Standard Plans and Specifications, and are encouraged to review them online at http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/esc/oe/construction_standards.html.

For More Information

About our courses and credits, see our FAQ
About payments, refunds, confirmations, and accessibility, see How to Enroll
Or email us with your questions at registrar@techtransfer.berkeley.edu

Cancellation Policy

To cancel your registration and receive a refund less a $75 processing fee, you must notify TechTransfer at least five (5) working days before the course is scheduled to begin. Notifications must be made in writing and sent by email to registrar@techtransfer.berkeley.edu. We reserve the right to charge the full course fee if proper notification is not sent to TechTransfer. We don't offer refunds for classes with registration fees of $75 or less.

In lieu of canceling your registration, you have three additional options: you may (1) transfer your registration to another class, (2) receive a tuition credit for the total amount, useable toward a future class, or (3) send a substitute in your place. Please contact us at least 5 full working days before the class is scheduled to begin so we may process your request.

If you’ve registered for a self-paced class, you cannot receive a refund once you start the class.

We recommend you discuss any possible problems or online security issues with your IT person before you register for any online classes. If you are worried about connectivity issues, please contact the online training coordinator the week before the class to schedule a time to test your system. If you do not test your system and you have technical issues during a live online class, we will not provide a refund.

Notes:

There is no sleeping room block for this class.
Fee: $625.00
Hours:16.00
CEUs:1.60

Fee Breakdown

CategoryDescriptionAmount
FeeCA Public Agency$ 625.00
Fee-AlternateStandard fee$1,250.00

UC San Diego Park and Market 318-319

UC San Diego, Park & Market
Rooms 318-319
1100 Market St.
San Diego, CA 92101

Dan Hennessey

P.E., T.E., PTOE, PTP, RSP1, Transportation Director, City of Santa Rosa

Mr. Hennessey is the Director of Transportation and Public Works for the City of Santa Rosa, CA. He has worked for more than 17 years in transportation and mobility planning and traffic engineering, with a focus in multimodal transportation planning and traffic engineering design prioritizing user safety. In his role as TPW Director for the City of Santa Rosa, Dan oversees the City's transportation planning and traffic engineering teams, its capital projects teams, its streets and parks maintenance divisions, and its CityBus local transit service, as well as City-owned facilities and the City's vehicle fleet. Dan is a recognized Fellow member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and currently serves as Chair of the ITE Transportation Planning Council. Dan graduated from The Ohio State University with a B.S. in Civil Engineering (2007) and from the University of California, Berkeley, with an M.S. in Civil Engineering (2008).


Bill Shao

PE, TE, PTOE, City of Los Angeles

Bill Shao is a Principal Engineer with the City of Los Angeles. Most recently the LADOT-lead for LA Metro's Capital Transit Design-Build and City's ATSAC programs, he previously led programs in Design, Construction Management, ITS/Signal Systems, Light Rail/Bus Transits, and a regional District. A veteran with more than three decades at LA City, he teaches for Berkeley Tech Transfer and previously taught at LA Metro. A practitioner active in numerous national and State SME panels, he holds a MS in Transportation Management from San Jose State University, a MS in Transportation Systems Engineering, and a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Irvine. Mr. Shao is a California-registered Civil Engineer and Traffic Engineer.

Date Day Time Location
04/27/2027Tuesday8 AM to 5 PM UC San Diego Park and Market 318-319
04/28/2027Wednesday8 AM to 5 PM UC San Diego Park and Market 318-319

You may also be interested in these related courses: